Flicker
by LaraKwin
Summary: After a call for help goes out from a crowded planet of lights, the Doctor and the Master set out to find out why, but they soon find out the there's something else that lies under the surface.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This story takes place after EoT, spoilers will be mentioned here at there. Warning for slash pairing.**

* * *

><p><em>Of course it had all started as a dream. An awful, horrible dream that she had woken up to. The buzz of constant activity was dead, as it had been for the past two turns, leaving only the soft, residual hum of the city outside. Feuville was dying, the entire planet was dying outside her window, and all she could think of was 'How?' How had the Gammas found their only weakness, how could it be that the whole of Galtahh was facing such an unending and horrific end?<br>The howls. Such a normal occurrence, but this..._

_Everything was quiet, dead quiet in fact and it was chilling her to the bones. And such a young face, only eight or nine turns old, facing it all on her own. _

'Please, don't go out there'

_She picked up a torch from her bedside table, pulling back the drapes_ _into the lit world that had only so long left.  
>Scratching at the door, in a flash of bright white and oily black,<em> _snarling and screaming and-_

"STOP!"  
>Never before had he sat up as fast, skin cold with sweat, hearts racing in his chest. He found it difficult to swallow as the lights in the bedroom came up finally, dousing the room in amber light and chasing away whatever darkness had settled. And never before had he been so unnerved by such a dream, not this one. No, no, this was powerful, this was calling him.<br>"...nnnh. The bloody hell's goin' on..."  
>The Doctor frowned, turning his head to the blonde lump beside him, sprawled out on the bed like some sheet stealing octopus and shoved him slightly, only earning him a groan and a slap to the head.<br>"Nothing. Nightmare..."  
>"Wimp"<br>"Arse"  
>"Hmm" the Master sounded pleased. "S'not what you called me last night" but despite that, he shifted slightly and pulled the Doctor close against him, nuzzling up against him. "Now shut up and go back to sleep..."<p>

The Doctor sighed and hesitantly wrapped his arms around the other man but he was distracted... Something about that dream had felt... wrong. He didn't like it and he couldn't shake it from his mind. the horrifying image of being _devoured_. Worse still, he couldn't shake the feeling of sheer _terror _that had consumed him watching that little girl... It just felt too real to be a nightmare - and he knew nightmares better than most.

The Master was sound asleep again in seconds, grip loosening on him a little, his mouth falling open. For a moment, the Doctor just watched him. It was _nice _watching him sleep. Relaxing...

But he sighed either way, running a hand through the other's hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead as he slipped expertly from his grip, rising from the bed and onto his feet. As always, the atmosphere was cold to combat the natural core temperature of the Time Lord system, but it was colder than usual. Must be saving on energy. Or slowly being dissolved into a black hole, but because of a certain lack of dying, he assumed that was not the case, and pulled a dressing gown around him, shuddering slightly. There was more to that nightmare than what was going for him, and he was absolutely determined to find out why, even if it meant leaving the Master and facing his grumpy wrath later. So awkwardly, he shuffled out to the console room (which was quite a walk, mind you), and stood in front of his machine, staring. Thinking.

"What was that about..." he mumbled, dropping into the jump seat in front of the navigation screen. And he knew what he was looking for, that one word resounding in his head like an echo.

"Alright you, let's see what you've got on...Gammas..." he mumbled, furiously typing into the keyboard of the vintage press, watching the screen flash him everything from Greek lettering to wavelengths to a restaurant on Magtr'dege. Nothing hit nerves though, nothing rang clear in his head that he could connect with the images still burning their way through his head, and it was eating him alive like a virus. Though it was more curiosity, he was compelled to find an answer, some way to explain this awful dream that he'd seen. The Doctor sighed, and leaned on the console.

He started slightly when he heard the Master's voice from the doorway, moody and sleepy. "You're not allowed to abandon me when I'm cuddling you," he huffed as he watched him, eyes clouded with sleep, his hair static. "Swear it's in the Shadow Proclamation or somethin'..."

The Doctor simply laughed, though sounding a bit forced, and turned to face the other. "I'm sure it is, love" he rolled his eyes and moved towards him, pulling him close and resting their foreheads together, closing his eyes tightly, thinking... Something was wrong. Nothing added up and he didn't like it, and usually when things didn't add up that meant subtraction, diving or multiplying, and math had never been his strong point. That dream had felt so... so _real. _It was almost as though it was planted in his mind, a call, a signal... He shivered, trying to shake the feeling and thought from his head, remaining focused at the task at hand, which was finding the origin of the dream. "Doesn't feel right, Master," he whispered as he felt the other wrap his arms tightly around him. He melted into the embrace, obviously still shaken from the ethereal encounter with mind demons.

"It was just a dream," the Master reassured him, rubbing his back soothingly, kissing his cheek. "You're fine."

"It _wasn't _just a dream," the Doctor retorted, feeling the irritation rising in his throat. Sighing, he pulled away from the other Time Lord and moved back to the console, trying the search again in vain. At least it felt like he was doing something then... He _had _to do something...

It was almost as if he'd given up hope, sitting back in the jumpseat, ignoring the mass that had joined him as he stared at the screen. Of course in his rush to figure the meaning, the creatures, time had been disregarded, and soon both had returned to their normal sleep pattern, the Master leaning on the Doctor who was leaning on the Master, and they were at peace. At least, until the TARDIS rang a bell or tooted a whistle and had sent the pair reeling and falling out of their seat and fully awake, and the Doctor fled to the screen, taking in the information.  
>"...it actually found something?" the Master asked, peering over his shoulder.<p>

"Gamma Wolves" he muttered, pouring over the screen. "Ancient race of native inhabitants to the planet Galtahh. Presumed extinct, though recent sightings have prompted the planet into eternal simulated day light. Brings bad luck, kiss of death..."

"Sounds like your kinda of date" the other chided from the floor, managing to sit up properly while the Doctor shot death glares in his direction. "Look, it's probably nothing. You've been there before or something and you're just having a flashback. Isn't that what happens?"

"Only in movies, and no, I haven't. Over population doesn't permit visitors, we'd be thrown right back out. They hardly have a decent food supply as it is, a tourism trade would just invite famine in"

"Tourism? Why would anyone want to go there in the first place? It sounds _boring_"

The Doctor smiled, directing his attention to the screen. "Galtahh. The Planet of Lights. Everything glows there, powered by electricity created by magnetic field deep below the surface. And we are going to pay them a visit, whether they want us to or not"


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor had spent a better part of the morning looking up whatever he could on the flickering planet, fixated in front of the console as the Master came and went, bringing tea and toast and occasionally a kiss, or a snog, simply because he was bored of the Doctor's interest in the place already and would not sit still for very long. He didn't _like _hanging around doing nothing.

"Shouldn't we just... y'know... go there?" he asked after a while when he reappeared and wrapped an arm around the Doctor's waist, tilting his chin to make him look at him. "I'm sure you know most of what there is to know about-."

"No," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head reluctantly. "No, we need to know what to expect."

"But-."

"Please."  
>In a huff, the Master stormed away, leaving the Doctor to his dull and fruitless work. It seemed he'd been doing more of this lately, researching and looking into a planet before gallivanting off to cause trouble. Perhaps it was just now that he was on board, things were different. He seemed protective, clingy if anything and by his standards, it was fine; it was like having a little Doctor guard dog. Though the reasoning behind it couldn't be all that complicated. It was just like Theta to get attached, and his death and resurrection was probably too much for the poor little Doctor to handle. He needed him! Oh, what a thought, the Oncoming Storm needing a little Master and mayhem in his life. Which is why he'd saved him from the Time Lords, saved him from falling into the Time Lock. And oh, the look on Wilf's face when they'd kissed! The Time Lord practically purred at the thought, humming as he made a mess of the kitchen, ignoring the warning growls of the TARDIS.<br>He returned to the console room bearing melted cheese and bread and tomato soup, all shoved together into a bowl. Quite good, mind you, but he plopped down next to the Doctor, chewing and smacking loudly.  
>"There are better ways to get my attention, love"<br>"Yeah but this is fun"  
>"It's annoying"<br>"Oh hush, I've done worse before!"  
>The Doctor smiled a little at this, and lowered his glasses to look up at him. "You're impossible"<br>"Yeah I know" He leaned over and stole a kiss from the bespectacled wonder, who seemed quite pleased at the small distraction.  
>"Come on. You've got to learn this stuff too, it's important"<p>

-

"Okay, let's go over this again" the Doctor mumbled, flattening out the Master's hair as he fussed about him. It was a nice planet, and he wasn't very well going to have the other going out in rags and trashy clothes, so something more civilized. He smiled as he let out a huff, pulling at the jumper. "Galtahh is...?"  
>"Second capital of Theacrima Galaxy"<br>"Good, and?"  
>"And what?"<br>"What else, it's not _just_ the capital, love"  
>"That's all I need to know."<br>The Doctor sighed and tutted at him, hitting him upside the head as he moved away to fix his own tie.

"To be fair," the Master huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You told me all this while I was still half asleep an-"

"Well, listen now," the Doctor cut across him, taking his hands and meeting his gaze. "Galtahh is full of planetary security and anything out of the ordinary from their lives is taken note of. In a rather serious way. But legally they are not allowed to kill, so it would be a long sentence and probably very painful. No laws against torture. Very boring but pretty planet so you are to be on your best behavior, and do not under any circumstances get involved with politics" he smiles, letting go of the Master, who responded with a repeat, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child.  
>"Well what if I get bored?"<br>The Doctor only smiled, leading them out of the wardrobe and into the echoing halls of his beloved ship, arms in arm as per usual. And to think just ten years ago... just ten years of fighting and clawing at each other to make it work, and now... They couldn't function without the other properly. Like bits of magnets, repelling and pulling the other together. Odds and ends, pole to pole, keeping the other grounded. And besides, flying the TARDIS with two people was a lot easier than just the one, and for that, the Doctor was grateful.  
>Stepping out into the console room, the Master tugged at his new clothes and sneered slightly. "I don't like gray. It's a rubbish color, there's no character to it at all!" The Doctor simply shrugged, throwing him a coat before shrugging on his own. "And how come I have to wear this, when you get your normal clothes!"<br>"Because mine always look good"  
>There was a discontented mumble behind him as the Master pulled on his 'regulation Time Lord Overcoat', a wool black thing as per his request, and followed the Doctor to the front door. "Ready?"<br>"As I'll ever be..."  
>The Doctor smiled, hand to the other's face as he pulled him into a small kiss, pushing open the door and leading him out.<p>

He wasn't halfway out the door when he stopped, frozen in place. Which gave the Master no room to squeeze by, and he forcibly pushed the Doctor to the side to get a glance of what t was that appalled him so.  
>There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. All those stories about overcrowding and the rushes for food, the people lining every inch of ground they could were floating away like the wind that howled through the sky scrapers, still humming and alive with artificial sunlight. The only sound in this wasteland.<br>"...what was that about security?"  
>"Shut up"<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Doctor. I don't like it" the Master sneered as he stepped out onto the planet for the first time, keeping close behind the Doctor. "It's too…._empty_"

"Yeah, well it shouldn't be" was his only response as he looked around the scene of utter….nothingness. This did not bode well, and the stench of human population lingered. They hadn't been gone long, he was sure of it, but it was unnerving the amount of fog that drifted through the winding streets, leaving them blind to the buildings that towered over them and spanned off into the unforeseeable distance.

"It's—"

"Like a shopping mall at night, a school after hours…" the Doctor whispered, moving closer to the Master, who looked the slightest bit annoyed at the interruption. "These streets should be _teeming_ with live, it should be _thriving…_"

"Doesn't look like it to me" the other scoffed, striding off into the streets, hands in his pockets. The Doctor took after him quickly, frowning as the TARDIS disappeared behind them, leaving him feeling distinctly cut off. He didn't like this; the TARDIS should be with them always, always visible, always within reach. And without her around, it was difficult to get their bearings as they wandered through the haze.

Every so often, they would pass a building, or seven or thirty, stemmed with lights all over, stretching high into the mist and lighting up like a Christmas tree. It was like walking into the 1920's just….more. And the Doctor was somewhat content with the situation for a while, and the two walked in silence beside each other, the only sounds in the fog being their footsteps echoing off empty streets.

"It's unnatural" the Master finally commented, pulling his coat colder around him. Not that it was particularly cold in any way, it was security. The place unnerved even him, and when the Doctor looked back in confusion, he pointed towards the bulbs balancing off of the sides of buildings like twigs lighting up the dim, dreary world they had stumbled upon. He didn't have to elaborate much on his statement; the Doctor knew exactly what he was talking about. Each and every one of the lights in the city was flickering, casting shadowy claws into the fog.

The Time Lords looked to each other, lumps forming in their throats as they stood in the quiet.

Though even in this quiet, the Master seemed distracted, eyes darting from building to building. He could _hear _things, whispering in the fog, directing him towards something shrouded by the mist. The streets were hardly quiet, not by a long shot. Voices. Crying, right there in his head, heart-wrenching, painful things and he could feel it. A sharp intake of cold air, which earned the Doctor's attention, and he looked to the endless streets. "Ca…" he trailed off for a moment, pausing to take a deep breath to steady himself, composing himself. "Can you hear that?" he whispered, distractedly bringing one hand up to his head, trailing fingers through his hair.

The Doctor frowned, looking towards the empty streetside. "Hear what?" the other asked, turning to look at him with a small frown.

The Master looked at him, unamused. "The voices! Can't you hear them, Doctor? In your head… Just listen… Voices," he replied quietly. "Dying voices…"

With a quirked brow, the Doctor obliged, sighing. Absolutely nothing, it was completely silent in his head, and silently wondered if the drums had evolved in his head. But that was until he heard the first wisp of a voice, a faint cry of pure anguish and sorrow and he stopped. Almost childlike voices, pleading in his head. He tensed, taking the Master's hand in his, holding tight. "Its…" he began, looking around. "They're in the fog! Well…I say fog, but this is something completely different entirely…"

He hesitated slightly, tugging the sonic out of his coat pocket, swinging it around as he scanned the area, glancing at the readings while the voices cried away in his head.

"It…it's alive…"

"If it's alive then that means…"

They looked at each other, frowning. The Master seemed to sneer, voices touching his coat, the screams of dead or missing surround them both. "We should go. There's nothing left here anyways. Everyone is gone, and they're just floating around. Come on Thet—"

"Shh"

"Wh—"  
>"Shut up" the Doctor hissed, holding fingers to lips.<p>

There was silence. Absolute silence and not even the wind seemed to breathe in between the buildings. The Doctor motioned towards a building, grabbing the Master's hand and fleeing towards the cover of one of the buildings, putting a protective arm across his chest. "Doctor, wha-?

"Shhh..." he quieted, looking to him with the intensity of the Oncoming Storm. The Master's eyes didn't waver but he remained mostly silent, moving closer to him as they hunched behind what could have been a newstand. A mental knock.

_What are we waiting for?_

The Doctor looked at him, then looked back out over their small shelter. _I heard something._

_Doctor there's voices in the fog._

_Not like that. Footsteps._

The deathly quiet that passed between them was interrupt though, by a cough that did not come from either of them.

"Someone? Hello? I heard someone out here..."

"Master, it's a _kid_" the Doctor whispered, standing up.

"Doctor, you don't that that for sure" he hissed back, grabbing his arm and pulling him down. "This entire planet has been wiped out; don't you think it's a little suspicious that there's a small girl wandering around by herself?"  
>"Last of her kind, and you're going to leave her out there?" There was a stunned glimmer of confusion on the other Time Lord's face as the Doctor pulled away, standing up and walking out into the street.<p>

"Hey! Little girl, over here!" he called out, waving and making himself bigger through the whispering fog. Rapid footsteps, _heavy_ rapid footsteps and the little one's form appeared in the fog, sprinting towards him and practically barreling into him. She was small and fragile, looking quite dirty in clothes she'd survived in for far too long and frail under his flushed skin. Pale, hungry, scratches everywhere. "Oh you poor thing, what happened…?" he whispered, stroking greasy hair.

"I-It was the wolves." She whimpered, trying to look back at the way she came. In turn, the Doctor looked up towards a shimmer, a gap in a veil somewhere that he couldn't quite place, and his attentions fled.

"Doctor" the gruff voice of the Master rose, and the lanky man looked towards his counterpart, frowning slightly. "Let's just get _her_ on the TARDIS and be out of here. There's nothing more we can do here, I'm sure of it."

He was about to respond, to retort how he was, in actuality, correct and the barren city had nothing left, when somewhere off, somewhere unknown, was a crackling, and a long, drawn out siren that evolved and contorted into a howl. The girl clung tighter to the Doctor's coat, he wrapped arms protectively around her, and frowned, looking to the Master. "They're hunting" she whispered, hiding her face.


End file.
